


Star and Firefly

by MissC3PO



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But he's too chicken to say much, Cade loves Optimus, Canon-Typical Violence, Crosshairs is an ass, Don't Mess With Texas, Falling In Love, First Dates, Fluff, Human/Transformer Relationships (Transformers), Hurt/Comfort, Ignoring Transformers: The Last Knight, Love Confessions, M/M, Robot Feels, Robot/Human Relationships, Texas, barn husbands, yeager program
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28737750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissC3PO/pseuds/MissC3PO
Summary: Cade has been harboring Team Prime 2.0 after the events of "Age of Extinction". Optimus left for a while, looking for his makers and all that stuff.Oh yeah, Optimus and Cade are in love!!And Tessa loves that!
Relationships: Cade Yeager & Tessa Yeager, Optimus Prime/Cade Yeager
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30





	1. I Saw You Ride The Northern Lights

“Have yah ever looked at the stars and kinda wondered about how small yah are? We’re just specks in this vast universe, and if Optimus taught me anything, it’s that no matter how small we are, we can do big things, through faith.” Cade sat back on his porch swing, looking at the flickering stars in the velveteen night sky, “am I right, Tessa?”

Tessa looked up from her phone, a confused look on her pristine face, “What did you say? All I heard was something about your giant robot boyfriend.”

Cade shook his head and stood up from his porch swing, “at least I don’t speak in a condescending tone about Lucky Charms anymore,”

“Dad!” Tessa huffed, “His name is Shane, I told you to stop calling him that.”

“Then quit calling Prime my ‘giant robot boyfriend’.” Cade heckled, crossing his arms to parody Tessa’s pose.

“You two fight like sparklings,” Hound butt in, waddling over to the two humans, “don’t they, Drift?”

“Very much like sparklings,” Drift nodded his head, well, as best as he could while meditating upside down on top of the rebuild Yeager barn.

“Hey, I didn’t ask for your input,” Cade pointed at Hound, shooting him a scowl.

“Why so sensitive, Yeager?” Crosshairs asked, emerging from the barn. He was working the robot guard dog that Cade forgot about, his large servos gracefully fixing the outer shell of the robo-mutt.

“Hey! I’m not sensitive,” Cade snapped, glaring at Crosshairs, “I’m just trying to get it across that Optimus isn’t my ‘robot boyfriend’ as Tessa says it.” he hoped that the air quotes got the point across. 

“Oh really?” Crosshairs laughed, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am very much sure!” Cade walked over to the towering green robot, “He’s nothing more than a friend,”

“I’m not so sure of that,” Crosshairs chuckled, “the way Optimus looked at you before he left was not one of ‘honor’ and ‘faith’ and the other nonsensical words you two were using.”

“He was looking at you with those big blue eyes,” Hound was trying not to erupt in a giggle fit, “pretty much begging you to frag him in his valve!” the Autobot let out an explosive laugh, rolling onto his back. 

“I’m not feeling very comfortable with this conversation, I’m going to bed,” Tessa got up and put her earbuds back into her ears. She fled into the house, leaving her awkward but bullish dad with the rowdy and equally bullish ‘bots.

“I have no idea why I put up with you guys,” Cade turned to Crosshairs, Hound, and Drift, who was still meditating on the top of Cade's barn.

“Because you are Optimus’s ‘friend’ and we’re his team.” Crosshairs put the mecha dog down and flicked some grit out of his servos. 

“Well, Team Prime 2.0.” Hound pointed out, “We no longer have Ratchet, Ironhide, Jazz, or Bee.”

Right as Hound said that, Bumblebee popped out of the barn, a sour expression on his face plates. Bee let out a loud and obnoxious whistle, as if to say “I’m still here you fragging aftholes!”

“There’s the pompous lil’ yellow machine,” Crosshairs scowled, “still upset that your sweet Prime isn’t here?”

“Say that to my face, mother-” Bee snapped at Crosshairs, barring his stinger.

“Hey whoa whoa whoa!” Cade shouted, running to the two ‘Bots that were beginning to fight, “I told y'all that if you guys want to stay here no fighting! I don’t need to have my house and barn rebuilt again!” Cade was starting to fume. This was getting exhausting, trying to keep an eye on his daughter and an eye on these pain-in-the-butt Autobots that seemed to always be at each other’s throats. 

“Damn, I wish Optimus was here,” Cade sighed, leaning back on a tree as he watched Bee and Crosshairs throw fists at each other. 

To the luck of Cade, his wish was in process of being granted.

* * *

Later that night, Cade laid awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had nothing on his mind, but he was having difficulties sleeping. From the sounds coming from Tessa’s room, Cade could infer she was having the same problem. There was light music playing and the soft clicking of keys on a keyboard.

After what felt like hours of him lying there, Cade tossed off his covers and slid out of bed. He walked up to Tessa’s room and knocked on the door. A light knock, but still one that could be heard over the music. He heard the grunt of a young adult getting up from their computer and the padded footsteps of slippered feet as Tessa walked to her door.

“What is it dad?” She opened the door a little, just enough for Cade to see her face and the warm light that filled her room.

“I was just wondering why you are up,” Cade explained, lowering his voice as if talking to a kitten. 

“I can ask you the same thing,” Tessa placed a hand on her hip and gave Cade a defiant look. Cade shook his head.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Neither could I.” Tessa responded, flicking some hair out of her face, “So I decided to work on some more college applications and such,”

“How are you doing with that all?” Cade asked, warmly smiling.

“Pretty great, actually,” Tessa smiled, “Mr. Joshua’s financial help and Drift’s discussions with me have really helped bolster my application.”

“That’s great honey!” Cade smiled, feeling proud of his daughter, “where are you looking to apply?”

“Texas State Technical College.” Tessa said, matter of factly, “I would like to study robotics there.”

“Robotics?” Cade was a little shocked. He always had thought of Tessa going into something like english or libral arts, “how come?”

“I guess I just take after you, dad,” Tessa grinned, “plus being surrounded by giant sentient robots every day can really peak your interest.”

“That is very much so true.” Cade chuckled, “so, what does Shane think about that?”

“He thinks it’s really cool, and he supports it.” Tessa explained, hoping that her response didn’t tick off her dad. 

“That’s really great!” Cade smiled. “You know, you and Lucky Charms-” Cade was suddenly cut off by a loud noise from outside. It sounded like a jet breaking the sound barrier.

Tessa and Cade ran to the window, looking out into the Texas night sky.

“Dad, was there anything in the news about a meteorite?”

A bright light was streaking through the sky, burning brightly as if it were made of stardust. The sky seemed to light up briefly in greens and blues before turning pitch black again. Suddenly the rest of the stars in the sky deemed to be duller.

Cade stood there, transfixed on the sky. His heart started to beat faster, and suddenly one thing was on his brain. A phrase that he uttered quietly before bolting out of the house into the field.

“Optimus Prime.”


	2. Down Here on Earth As They Passed By

Cade ran until he felt he could run no more, and then some. It felt as if he were running for miles, yelling, screaming the name that suddenly was burnt into his brain.

“Optimus!”

Tessa tried chasing after her father, but she soon had to give up. She was strong for sure, but didn’t seem to possess the inhuman strength that Cade was exhibiting suddenly. She wished she was back in her room, working on her application and trading ‘That’s None of My Business’ Kermit memes over text with her friend, but what was going on with her dad and the sudden asteroid/giant robot was her business. 

Tessa stood there in that giant field, the dull flicker of stars above her and the waves of tall grasses under her. She heard the shouts of her dad, calling out to Optimus. Tessa hoped deep in her heart that it was Optimus, not some new Decepticon who was going to blow their house and newfound Autobot friends to smithereens. 

After running for what felt like hours, Cade stopped. He collapsed to the ground, wheezing and dry heaving. He had followed the trail of debris and burning, but there was no sign of a transformer, or even a meteorite. Cade suddenly felt very stupid for running out into a field after what could of been some fallen, burnt up, space junk. 

But that feeling of stupidity disappeared when suddenly he heard a weak but booming voice fill the field and surrounding area.

“Cade!”

Cade’s heart began it’s wild beating and Cade leapt up and ran to the source of the voice.

“Optimus! Optimus! Prime!”

“Cade-” Cade found the giant Autobot leader lying against an old farmhouse, looking even worse than the first time Cade saw Prime. Optimus was venting deeply, holding his side with a pained expression on his face plates. He tried to sit up when he saw Cade, but it resulted in blinding pain and a grunt.

“Optimus! What’s going on? Are you alright?” Cade ran up to the transformer, worry coursing through his veins.

“Cybertron… seekers…” Optimus growled, trying to stand up but failing miserably. Cade took a step back, a fearful jolt of energy running down his spine. 

“Are the seekers coming here? To Earth?” Cade asked, hoping that he would have the strength to run to his home to wake the other Autobots so that they could fight the flying fucks. 

“No…” Optimus gasped, his vents straining, “I fought them all off… Earth is safe at the moment…” 

“You’re injured, Optimus,” Cade looked up at the bot, “I’ll get the other bot’s to help me get you to the barn,”

“Cade…” Prime looked at the human, sadness emitting from his large sky blue eyes, “I am gravely wounded… I am unsure I’ll make it… I am shocked I even got here…”

“I’ll stabilize you, I’ll fix you!” Cade shouted, grabbing his phone from his pocket. He speed dialed Tessa and waited for her to pick up. “Stay with me Optimus!” 

“Dad! What’s going on?” Tessa picked up, thank the lord.

“Tessa, get the bots,” Cade said, urgency filling his cracking voice, “Optimus is here, he’s really hurt.”

“Got it dad!” Tessa hung up, and Cade sighed with slight relief.

“Help is coming Optimus, you’re not going to leave us.” Cade placed a hand on Optimus’s leg, which was warm and sticky with Energon. 

“Cade…” Optimus looked at the human, his optics becoming duller, “Cade…”

“I’m here Optimus, what do you need?”

“Cade…” Optimus vented deeply, sending shutters down his body, “I need to tell you something… if I am destined to have my spark join the Well of Allsparks tonight…” Optimus coughed hoarsely, Energon splattering all over the ground and Cade.

“Yes, big guy?” Cade was doing his best to not lose it. His mind was going back to when his wife passed on, and the horror and grief that filled that night was creeping into this one.

“Cade… I…” silence filled the darkness, only illuminated by Optimus’s azure optics.

“I love you… Cade…”

* * *

A crisp orange sunset illuminated the Yeager property, basking everything in a blood orange glow. The sun was creeping up the horizon, shining it’s glorious light on the Texan fields. Natural light began to shine through the skylights in Cade’s barn, where he was working on the silent and still Prime. Crosshairs stood behind him with Hound at his side, while Drift and Bee stood at the other side of Optimus, looking intently at the work being done. 

“I’ve cauterized the ruptured Energon vein… alright, what is next?” Cade was working feverishly on the Prime, unaware of anything else around him. His mind was only on Prime, and his confession. 

“Cade, He’s stable.” Crosshairs tapped Cade on the shoulder, bringing the human out of his mindscape. “He’s good.”

Cade looked up at the green bot, who for once wasn’t being sassy or attacking Bee. Cade nodded, and stepped back from Optimus, who was quietly and evenly venting while lying on a tarp. 

“How long will he be out?” Hound asked, looking intently at the slumbering leader. His optics flitted back and forth from Optimus to Cade.

“A little while, he needs to rest.” Cade looked up to the others in attendance, and did a shooing motion with his hand, “Come on, git out of here.” 

Hound, Drift, Crosshairs, and Bee walked out of the barn, looking longingly at the still Prime. From what Bee had told Cade, Optimus had passed on once, and it was devastating on Bee and the team. Cade wondered what was going through the scout’s mind. His mind began to wander with such thoughts, until a voice interrupted the journey.

“Hey Cade,” Crosshairs turned around, his metal trench coat swirling around his waist, “you did good.” Crosshairs dipped his helm at Cade, who returned the gesture.

Cade and Optimus were finally alone. 

“Was that true, Optimus? Did you mean what you said?” Cade whispered, fully understanding that Prime most likely couldn’t hear him. “That would explain your fondness for me.”

A quiet calm filled the barn, and the soft sounds of grass whipping in the breeze and Tessa’s wind chimes punctuated the silence. 

“It is true, Cade.” the deep silky voice of the Prime suddenly filled the cramped space, “It’s true.”

“Optimus!” 


	3. If Only You Could See Me Here, A Bystander So Far Away

Optimus was back, bringing new light to the Yeager home. Bee was ecstatic. His leader and mentor was back. The scout soon was back to his old self, cheery and bouncy. 

“You act like that Pinkie Pie character from My Little Pony,” Tessa remarked one day while watching Bee cheerfully help Hound out with building some weaponry. 

“Then I said ‘Oatmeal? Are you crazy?’” Bee responded, still wishing that he could use his real voice instead of his radio voice. But he believed he got the point across. 

Tessa got the reference, and left the sunshine colored scout alone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Prime and Cade were spending some needed time together.

“So, there was no sign of your creators, but there was a… what did you call it?” Cade was standing in a nearby field, looking up at Optimus who was busy working on his sword. 

“A beam.”

“So this ‘beam’ hit you while you were on Cybertron, and you have no idea what it was?”

“It was not from any of the Seekers that attacked me,” Optimus explained, “So I have to infer it was from the creators or even Cybertron itself.”

“That sounds unreal,” Cade almost hit himself, “But here I am talking to a massive robot commander who got brought back to life by a… what was it?”

“The Matrix of Leadership,” Optimus said, his voice showing no sigh of annoyance.

“That thing, right.” Cade plucked a piece of tall grass and started twirling it around his fingers. After a minute of doing so, Cade sighed and looked up at Optimus with a sheepish look, “So, Optimus, I was wondering… you said you loved me, right?”

There was a moment of silence between the two, only punctuated by the light venting of the large Autobot. 

“Yes, I did.’ Optimus looked down at the human, an questioning look on his faceplates, “Why do you ask?”

“Well, you see,” Cade looked at the grass blade, “we humans have different types of love,” He plucked two other blades of grass, each one a different type, “we have love for our family, love for our friends, aka brotherly love, and romantic love.” Cade showed the three grass blades to Optimus, “like this grass- it’s three different types, but it’s still grass.”

“What brought on this explanation, Cade?” Optimus just wanted Cade to get to the point.

“I was wondering, Optimus,” Cade exhaled, “ When you said you loved me, was that just you saying you love me in a brothers-in-arms sort of way, or did you mean-”

“Romantic?” Optimus inquired, his eyes shining, “Yes, I meant romantic.”

“Oh, wow.” Cade rubbed the back of his neck, feeling heat rise to his cheeks, “that was very… blunt… wow…”

“I was unsure of how to use any of these ‘pick-up lines’ Tessa taught me before I left, so I believed that a straightforward explanation would be the best,” Optimus said sheepishly, looking away from Cade.

“Wait, Tessa is in on this?” Cade turned to Optimus, who was looking a little dejected. 

“Yes, she was the one who noticed my… fondness of you.” Optimus said, “Cade, you do know that you do not have to return my feelings-”

“Optimus!” Cade dropped the grass and walked up closer to the ‘Bot. Optimus put down his sword, “Optimus, did you polish your armour today?” Cade smirked, “cause I can practically see myself in you!”

The Prime took a second to think before a blue blush covered his face plates.

“Hey, I didn’t know that you guys could blush!” Cade remarked, glad to see his pick up line worked. 

“Yes… we can,” Optimus responded sheepishly.

* * *

Optimus and Cade finally came back from their talk, strolling back to the Yeager home. Hound, Bee, Drift, Crosshairs, and Tessa were outside, talking and building whatever they were building at the time. 

“Hey, look who returned,” Hound chuckled, “the lovers.” Optimus shot him a quick scowl and turned to Cade.

“Hey y’all, may I have your attention?” Cade announced, trying his best to get the attention of the ‘Bots. Sadly that was not working.

“Guys! Listen up!” Tessa shouted, “Dad wants to say somethin’” Thank whoever was up there for Tessa. 

“So… you all have been making gestures and such about the… relationship between Optimus Prime and I, and-”

“Oh get to the point, we don’t have all day,” Crosshairs snapped, already becoming impatient. Tessa looked at him with a look that could shoot live missiles down a transformer’s throat. 

“Ok!” Cade shook his head, “Optimus and I are now-”

“Bondmates.” Optimus exclaimed.

“Boyfriends.” Cade looked to the Prime, “Optimus, that makes it sound like we are married, or something.”

“Oh,” Optimus almost blushed again, “my bad.”

“Yes!” That was the happy cheer of a young adult female who’s dad finally found love after what felt like forever, “Finally, dad! I knew it!”

“Oh hell yeah!” Bumblebee chortled, “He’s the one!” He joined Tessa in a small happy dance that the ‘bots and Cade watched. 

“Jeez… you guys…” Crosshairs mumbled, “It’s not like they are fully bonded yet. You guys are acting like they are sparked.” the paratrooper shrugged his shoulders and left, presumably to keep working on something in the barn.

\---

Later that day, Cade and Optimus were lounging behind the house, enjoying the sunshine and the smells on an incoming storm. The quiet moment between the newly out human and transformer seemed to go on forever until Hound, Drift, Bee, and Tessa found them.

“I am very happy for you two.” Hound nodded to Prime, a smile gracing his faceplates. 

“I too am filled with joy over you two.” Drift announced, “We all wished for the day Prime would find a new sparkmate.”

“Wait up,” Cade put up his hand to stop the conversation, “new? You mean I’m not the first?” He wasn’t jealous, but he wanted to know more about this past sparkmate that was being suddenly mentioned. 

“I should have told you sooner, Cade.” Optimus looked down to Cade, almost grimacing at what he was about to say, “Megatron was my past sparkmate.”

“Oh!” Cade’s eyes widened, and he was wondering what else he was going to learn about his new boyfriend.

“You are not mad?” Optimus asked, his blue eyes flashing in momentary fear.

“Of course not,” Cade patted Optimus’s leg, “You ain't my first either, you already know about me being a widower.”

“So you both are in the same boat, huh?” Tessa smiled, sitting on Bumblebee’s shoulder.

“I guess so.” Cade smiled, looking up at his giant robot boyfriend.

“You forgot to tell him one more thing, Prime,” Drift announced.

“Oh, yes,” Optimus vented in slowly. He bent down to Cade’s eyeline, and sighed, “I also am bringing offspring into the relationship.”

“You mean-”

“Bumblebee is my son.” Optimus explained, looking over to Tessa and Bumblebee.

“Oh. My. gosh,” Tessa gasped, “that is so cool! You’re gonna be my brother!” Bee was all giddy and excited, and placed Tessa down to do another happy dance.

“I don’t mind that,” Cade grinned, “as long as they don’t mind me taking you on a date later tonight.”

“A date?” Optimus cocked his head, “what’s a date?”

“It’s when you two go do something together to spend time and learn more about each other.” Tessa piped up. 

“Weren't we just doing that?” Optimus asked Cade, who placed a hand on Optimus’s servo.

“In a way, yes,” Cade smiled at his robot boyfriend, “But I’m going to take you on a real date tonight, just you wait, Optimus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole fic at the moment is unbeta-ed so the pacing is shit and there are some grammatical issues- but I still wanted to post it unbeta-ed since people really like it. I got some beta readers who are working on the first chap, but if you wanna beta read the second and third chap for me and get sneak peeks are the next chapters, dm me on Discord MissC3PO™©#4281
> 
> Heres the reference Bumblebee made in this chap : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlGYkKpIfDM


	4. A Glimpse I See a Dim Flicker, A Distant Light Suddenly Near

The sky seemed stationary, as if the sun had stopped dipping down past the horizon. The oranges and pinks it bled dyed the sky in pastel colors that reflected off anything shiny and metallic. The light rain made the air sparkle, which added more to the sunsets glamour.

The dust road seemed to have been paved with gold dust and nuggets- not the chicken nuggets which Optimus and Cade were joking about eating on their ‘date’.

Optimus, with Cade in his cab, rumbled down the path, leaving a dust path in his wake. The truck had no clue where they were going, since Cade was wanting it to be a surprise. Optimus was unsure of what the surprise was, since this was a date and Tessa said that most people have dates at restaurants and the directions that Cade was giving him was leading them away from any towns.

“So, are we about there yet?” Optimus asked, his monotone voice filling his cab. Cade leaned back and kicked up his heels. A smug smile spread across his face. 

“Not yet,” Cade responded, his cool demeanor hiding the butterflies in his stomach. It had been a long time since he had taken anyone on a date. He was a bit afraid of messing things up, especially with his new boyfriend who could easily crush him under his foot if he got mad. Cade just hoped that the cool as a cucumber vibe would help him be cool under these circumstances. 

Unknown to Cade, Optimus was having first date jitters too. The feeling of sunflies in his tanks were making matters worse. He had not been asked out in eons, and had even declined queues after his falling out with Megatron. But with things seeming to calm down, alongside his attraction to Cade, he decided to put his past behind him.

But oh how he was a mess. 

Did Cade truly like him? Was this all a set up? Was Cade just scared of him and decided to go along to not anger the giant robot? These insecurities plagued the warframe bot, who may look big and strong on the outside, but on the inside, was soft.

“Hey, Optimus, would you be up to some music?” Cade’s voice snapped Optimus out of his worried mindscape.

“I would not mind,” Prime answered.

“What do you prefer?” Cade asked, leaning towards the radio on the dashboard.

“I…” Optimus tried to remember if he had even listened to any earth music before, “I don’t believe I have a preference.”

“Okay then,” Cade flipped on the radio, and music streamed out of the speakers connected to such. “Let’s see what you like!”

_ You got the touch, you got the power, when all hell’s breaking loose you’ll be riding the eye of the storm _ \- The station was changed by Cade, who decided to look for more music.

“That one’s a bit overused,” Cade mumbled as he changed to a different station.

_ Sashay, shantay, panther on the runway _ \- Again, another station change.

_ You need a good girl to blow your mind _ \- third time’s a charm?

_ Baby I’m preying on you tonight, hunt you down, eat you alive _ \- Kinda uncomfortable while you are chilling inside a giant robot.

_ Stars are only visible in the darkness, Fear is ever-changing and evolving, And I, I've been poisoned inside _ \- nope. Cade was about to shut off the radio when he had a feeling to try one last station.

_ I don't care, go on and tear me apart, I don't care if you do, 'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars, I think I saw you. _ That one fit perfectly.

_ I don't care, go on and tear me apart, I don't care if you do, oh, 'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars, I think I see you. _

“I like that one,” Optimus rumbled, his voice relaxed more than normal. Cade sat back and smiled, happy about his little victory. 

The rest of the drive was uneventful, minus the moment that Cade thought he heard Optimus humming to the music.

* * *

“We’re here, Optimus,” Cade announced as they turned onto an unmarked road. The road was lined with old fences that lead into an area surrounded by a ring of massive oak trees. The sun was about done setting, and one could see little pinpricks of light coming from the stringed lights in the oaks. 

“What is ‘here’?” Optimus asked as Cade hopped out of his cab.

“Well, here,” Cade gestured around him, and smiled. There was a small grassy spot in the middle of the rig of oaks, which was lit with stringed lights in the trees. In the middle was a huge picnic blanket with little lanterns at its side. There was a little basket with some beer for Cade and some high grade for Optimus. 

“Cade,” Optimus was trying to hold back his enthusiasm, “This is wonderful.” He quickly transformed out of his alt mode and stood up. The oak trees reached the height of his helm, which helped conceal himself from anyone or anything outside of the ring of oaks. 

“So, you like it?” Cade asked, hoping that he didn’t screw up his first date, “I was told by Hound this was your favorite high grade energon,” Cade pointed to a large cube full of shimmering pink and purple liquid. Optimus’s blue eyes shined happily.

“It is,” He lifted up the cube and took a small sip, “where did you get this?”

“That’s a secret, my prime,” Cade winked, since the author didn’t feel up to a long explanation about where one could get high grade on Earth in a Transformers universe where there was no high grade mentioned at all.

Cade gestured to Optimus to sit down, which he did. Cade picked up a beer and popped the top off, and looked up at the bot. There was a soft look on Optimus’s face plates, one very much different from his normal pained and angered scowl that Cade saw a lot when he first met him. For once, Optimus looked at peace. 

“Thank you kindly for this opportunity,” Optimus smiled to Cade, and put his cube of energon down, “for this date, I believe.”

“Hey, no problem,” Cade smiled back, his worry starting to melt away. Things were starting off good, “So, what are dates like on Cybertron?”

“Dates? You mean courting?” Optimus asked, which elicited a nod from Cade, “Well, one would bring a partner to the crystal gardens before the setting of our sun, and sometimes bring a ‘dinner’ as you would call it to consume while watching the light reflect off the crystal trees.”

“That sounds,” Cade tried to find the right word, “really beautiful.”

“It was.” Optimus looked to the sunset, falling in the west, “it was.” There was a little flash of sadness in Optimus’s optics, which Cade noticed. He put a hand on Optimus’s servos, which made Optimus look to Cade.

“I’m sure it was,” Cade smiled, “I’m sure.” That moment seemed to last forever, with the only sound being of the light wind, the rustle of the dry grasses, and the tinkling of the lights as the wind softly pushed them around. Optimus’s sad optics began to fill with calm and happiness as he looked into Cade’s. His spark swelled with more love for the small man, love he hadn’t felt in a long time. Love he had never felt for a human. 

“I am glad we found your planet, Cade,” Optimus broke the silence, filling the area with his soft, deep voice, “It is filled with beauty and faith that shines through the darkest of nights.”

“That's very poetic,” Cade remarked, “very”.

“Thank you,” Optimus chuckled lightly, “that may be an old quirk of mine that I got while working as an archivist.”

“You? And archivist?” Cade asked, raising an eyebrow, “I’ve always thought of you as some battle hardened warrior for as long as you’ve lived, to be honest.”

“Well,” Optimus began, “the reason I am a part of the battle between Autobots and Decepticons is because of my time working in the Iacon archives.”

“I don’t fully understand,”

“Just give it a minute, Cade.” Optimus shook his helm, “I was an archivist for about as long as I could remember. I was in charge of sorting old news broadcasts, written works, and other forms of media. That’s all I did for eons. I had only heard of Primes, the Matrix of Leadership, the Allspark, and other facts and details that I am very aware of now.” Optimus chuckled to himself, becoming lost in thought, “I was a shy librarian, as you humans call it. I would have rather spent my whole life in the lower Iacon archives than interact with others. I was occasionally dragged outside by my close amica for a visit to a local tavern and a cube of medium grade.”

“Amica?”

“My close friends, Cade. I had a few, Hound being one of my oldes. Most of them have perished in the war or sought out a new life beyond the stars.” Optimus’s spark felt heavy thinking about that, but Cade’s gentle touch helped him move past those thoughts and continue the tale.

“One solar cycle, I found myself looking at recent newscasts that I found interesting. They were conducted by a slave, a miner, who was talking about the corruptness of the caste system of Cybertron. His name may be familiar to you, Cade,”

“Oh…” It took a minute for Cade to realize who Optimus was talking about.

“Yes, Cade,” Optimus sighed, “I’m talking about Megatron.” Optimus glanced over to Cade, who didn’t seem to show any negative emotions towards Optimus or the mentain of Megatron. Cade seemed, inquisitive.

“So, what happened?”

“I found time to meet him and discuss his ideologies with him. I soon found myself seeing the corruption of the caste system and pledged myself to Megatron’s movement.”

“Wait,” Cade held up his hand, pausing Optimus’s storytelling, “you were a Decepticon?”

“No.” Optimus firmly stated, “I never was a Decepticon. Back then there was no Decepticon faction, only protests against a corrupt leadership.” Prime paused, and looked to Cade. Cade suddenly was confused by this, and opened his mouth to ask. But his question about such was promptly answered.

“Then I began to bond with Megatron, in a romantic way.” Optimus seemed a bit ashamed, but he kept telling his story, “He and I would spend long nights with each other, trading tales and other things that I would rather not speak of.” Cade understood completely, “And before long, I discovered that I was sparked.” Optimus shook his helm and chuckled, “I wasn’t the brightest bot in my youth, now was I?”

“I have also made the same mistake when I was a dumbass teen, OP, There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Cade smiled, remembering his past wife’s and his choices. He paused, and realized just what he said, “May I call you OP?”

“Of course,” Optimus gave Cade a sly look, “Commander.”

Cade instantly started to blush, his flustered brain unable to make a coherent thought or sentence. “You… you… can continue… story…”

“Of course, “ Optimus winked, “say, where was I?”

“Spar… sparked.”

“Ah,” Optimus kept going, “So, I found myself sparked, and Megatron and I decided to announce ourselves as an official bonded couple.”

“That sounds eerily familiar to my life choices,” Cade mumbled to himself, finding himself bond more to this seemingly perfect robot soldier who was flawed in similar ways as him. 

“So, that was that for a while. I had Bumblebee, and we raised him as things began to get worse.” Optimus explained, waving his servos at the distant memory, “I’m just glad that he’s grown up to be a very smart and warm sparked Autobot.”

“I’m glad too, Optimus,” Cade smiled, “He’s one hell of an Autobot.”

“Thank you,” Optimus sighed happily, “He sure is.”

A few more moments of silence passed between the two, both taking small sips of their drinks and watching the sun fully dip into the distance and dissipate into millions of stars. A cool breeze from the passing storm made the hanging lights bounce around and make more magical tinkling noises. 

“Orion,” Optimus looked to Cade, a calm and stoic look on his face plates, “my name used to be Orion Pax.”

“Orion… Pax…” Cade pronounced each letter slowly, as if he was savoring the syllables of the Autobot’s name, “the peaceful hunter.”

“Yes,” Optimus grinned, his dente and optics flashing in the low light, “I do believe that it fits my personality well.” He took another sip of his energon and looked to Cade, “I do believe that your name means ‘sturdy hunter’, if I am remembering your Earthen languages and human name meanings.”

“Huh, I never thought much of that.” Cade cocked an eyebrow, thinking over what Optimus said, “so, we are both hunters, eh?”

“I believe so,” Optimus looked up at the stars, “hunters of the evil that prowls this Earth, and the galaxy we reside in.”

“Like… cheetahs, going for the gazelle of evil.” Cade tried being poetic, which earned a sly smile from Optimus.

“I believe so, studly hunter.” Optimus tried out another nickname, which made Cade both laugh and blush at the same time. When he was done, Cade placed his tiny hand into Optimus’s servos, and looked up into his large, sky blue optics.

“Optimus… Orion,” Cade began, “I just want you to know, I’m very glad that I found you and took you back to my barn. It was one of the best decisions of my life.” Cade rubbed his hand over one of Optimus’s servos, making tiny circles, “I’ll be here for you, as long as you have faith in me and my family.”

“I always will have faith in you and your family, Cade,” Optimus looked at Cade, his hand, then Cade again, “There is a lot of evil I’ve seen on this planet, but there is still some good, some light, that is left. You are a firefly in this world, Cade, and I’ll fight to keep your light shining.”

The two looked at each other, melty chocolate hazel eyes meeting crystalline blue optics. Optimus leaned down, and offered his servos to Cade. Cade stood up and stepped onto the large hand, and felt himself being lifted up to Optimus’s face. Cade knew what was going on, and leaned onto Optimus’s faceplates. Cade pressed his tiny, human lips to Optimus’s large, warm, metallic ones and closed his eyes. Optimus did the same, but with less pressure since he was a giant robot that could harm his new tiny human boyfriend if he used his full strength. Their auras seemed to meld together, a warm feeling engulfing the two. Everything felt calm and serene. 

After a while, the two broke off their kiss, smiling widely and chuckling quietly.

“That was my first kiss in a while,” Cade chuckled to himself.

“And most likely your first kiss with an autonomous robotic organism,” Optimus smiled, quickly batting his eyes.

“What the fuck was that.” Cade cocked his head, laughing. 

“I was trying to be flirtatious, I believe.” Optimus was a little shocked at Cade’s reaction, “my bad if it did not come across as I believed it would.”

“It’s okay, OP,” Cade waved his hand, dismissing Optimus’s shy explanation, “It was cute.” Optimus lowered Cade to the ground, and Cade hopped off of his hand. He looked up at Optimus, who was still seated and smiling. His eyes seemed to shine like beads of starlight, twinking in a clear Texas night sky. All was calm, and all was bright.

“Cade,” Optimus began, venting in deeply, “I had told you about a beam that hit me while I went to Cybertron, correct?”

“Yes, I remember that.” Cade looked up to Optimus, a little confused by his sudden inquiry. 

“Well, I was not entirely honest with you about it,” Optimus out vented, “You see, I had not found the creators that Lockdown spoke of. It was just a ruse.”

“What do you mean?” Cade cocked his head.

“There were no creators to be found on Cybertron, since Cybertron is my creator.” Optimus looked up to the sky, “Primus created my ancestors.”

“Who’s Primus?” Cade asked, a little more confused than before.

“Primus was a deity, as you may call them. They were a leader, a creator, the bringer of life and creation. They were the best of the best, as their name implies.” Optimus explained, short and concise. “They later transformed into the planet Cybertron after creating the ancestors of all the transformers you see today.”

“Huh,” Cade shook his head, “that’s why you and those other ‘Primes’ you spoke off were called Primes.”

“We were the best of the best, and did our best to emulate the good of Primus.” Optimus explained, “I was an archivist, and was awarded the title of Prime by Alpha Trion by standing up for the good of all.”

“And so this beam came from Primus, and?” Cade motioned for Optimus to go on.

“And I’m-” before Optimus could finish what he was going to say, there was a sudden sound that came from the sky. It sounded as if the soundbarrior was broken.

“What the hell as that?” Cade shouted, his ears ringing.

“I don’t know,” Optimus stood up, picking up Cade and holding him to his chest.

“Is it a Decepticon?” Cade shouted, trying to peer out from Optimus’s suddenly protective hands. Optimus looked down to Cade, and then to the source of the sound.

The sound of a jet going overhead filled the quiet place, making the two freeze.

“I’m almost 100 perfect sure that’s a Decepticon.”

Optimus was quiet for a few short seconds. The silence worried Cade, who was still cupped in Optimus’s giant metal hands.

“No, it can’t be,” Optimus said quietly, sounding shocked instead of stoic. His eyes flashed to a quick white light, one Cade only saw when a transformer was scanning the area around them.

“What do you mean?”

“That’s Windblade.” Optimus put Cade down gently and walked to the source of the noise. 

“Wind-who?” Cade shouted, chasing after Optimus, confused.

“She’s an old friend,” Optimus explained, “I thought she was deactivated a long time ago!”

“But she’s here?” 

“I hope it’s her, It’s her signal I’m picking up.” Optimus stopped, and turned to Cade, “I really do hope it’s her.”

“I’m hoping that too,” Cade stood beside Optimus, looking out into the field that Prime was observing. The sounds of a jet landing filled the air, followed by the sound of it transforming.

“Windblade!” Optimus shouted into the darkness. A few moments passed, and Cade kept peering into the darkness, trying to see what Optimus was seeing. 

A feminine voice came from the darkness, matching the beauty of her glowing blue eyes. 

“Optimus!?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! Want updates on my fanfiction and such? Follow me on Tumblr under @ao3missc3po to get updates on my works, fanart, disscusions, suggestions, and more! See y'all! Happy 2021!
> 
> Song that inspired this fic is "Star and Firefly" by LutariFan
> 
> This fic has 20 slated chapters split up into two acts. Spoiler? The second act involves mechpreg!


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